Bibby Ady, 36

Creative director

True North

Biggest achievement: Being commissioned to design work that other agencies wish they were doing.

Current business goal: To grow True North – “but this will be as a result of the correct clients and type of work, not because the bottom line demands it”.

Bibby left Blackpool and the Fylde College in 1991 with an HND in graphic design. He then spent six years at design consultancy The Chase in Manchester, before becoming head of design at Manchester advertising agency Barrington Johnson Lorrains. In 2001, he launched design consultancy True North with business partner Martin Carr.

Today, the company employs 14 people and its latest annual results show a turnover of £1.1m and a pre-tax profit of £200,000. It has clients ranging from the Tate galleries in Liverpool and London and Royal Mail to Durham University and Liverpool Culture Company.

True North ranked sixth in Design Week’s annual creative survey and Bibby was a judge for the graphic design category at the international D&AD awards, held in London in May 2008.

True North plans to bring in metrics that measure the effectiveness of its most creative work, which it says will help clients to be bolder. “We will be encouraging clients to embrace creativity and championing its effectiveness. That way we can solve bigger problems for them and grow the business on the back of it,” said Bibby.

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